Focusing on the Fundamentals

New-Era Navigation Aids

Toppling Communication Barriers

Building a Metaverse for All Abilities

In May 2022, the World Health Organization and Unicef published the first major report on the growing global need for assistive tech. It urges that, alongside investing in product innovation, stakeholders improve equitable access to such life-changing devices for all people with disabilities (PWDs) – one in six worldwide – regardless of socio-economic or geographical factors.

In May 2022, the World Health Organization and Unicef published the first major report on the growing global need for assistive tech. It urges that, alongside investing in product innovation, stakeholders improve equitable access to such life-changing devices for all people with disabilities (PWDs) – one in six worldwide – regardless of socio-economic or geographical factors.

Summary

Focusing on the Fundamentals

In May 2022, the World Health Organization and Unicef published the first major report on the growing global need for assistive tech. It urges that, alongside investing in product innovation, stakeholders improve equitable access to such life-changing devices for all people with disabilities (PWDs) – one in six worldwide – regardless of socio-economic or geographical factors.

New-Era Navigation Aids

For the 253 million people globally who are blind or partially sighted, a new crop of assistive solutions promises to boost independence by safely guiding them through their daily lives. Some of these innovations borrow from autonomous vehicle technology, while others leverage latent capabilities in existing smartphones.

Toppling Communication Barriers

For both personal and professional relationships, making oneself understood is fundamental. Live captioning tools, sign language lenses for social media and widgets can overhaul existing web interfaces to ease communications for people with speech impediments or neurodiverse consumers.

Building a Metaverse for All Abilities

The opportunity to defy real-world limitations makes virtual realms attractive to ­­many PWDs. Brands are boosting representation on metaverse platforms via an array of assistive devices for avatar customisation. Meanwhile, nascent input innovations like eye-tracking tech and neural interfaces could enable even those with severe physical impairments to engage in extended reality.

Published 13 June 2022

Author
Estella Shardlow
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With 2.5 billion people worldwide needing at least one assistive product (WHO/Unicef, 2022), tech is at last paying greater attention to the differently abled – an awareness permeating everything from consumer electronics to metaverse gaming. We survey the most impactful new innovations and brand initiatives boosting autonomy for people with disabilities.

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